Two thirds of Americans believe you can be moral and an atheist

A Newsweek poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International finds that half (49 percent) of Americans know an atheist, two thirds (68 percent) believe someone can be a moral person and be an atheist, and nearly half (47 percent) think America is more accepting of atheism than it was in the past.Other results. More than 90 percent of U.S. adults say they believe in God and while one in 10 said they have “no religion,” only 6 percent reject belief in God and 3 percent are self-described atheists. Higher percentages of respondents than in earlier polls reported knowing an atheist and being more accepting of atheism, but 67 percent said they would not vote for a political candidate they knew to be atheist.

The survey found a deep divide on whether religion plays too great a role in politics, with 31 percent saying it does and 32 percent saying it should have a greater role. Democrats are more likely to hold the first view and Republicans the second.

Almost half of those surveyed said they do not accept evolution. Evangelical Protestants are the most likely to believe in Biblical creation at 73 percent, while 39 percent of non-evangelical Protestants and 40 percent of Catholics agree